


Hot chocolate (and first meetings.)

by Shipsandficsandotpsohmy



Series: Brooklyn's Best [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meetings, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, War Veteran Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 13:28:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30106686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shipsandficsandotpsohmy/pseuds/Shipsandficsandotpsohmy
Summary: Bucky Barnes is doing okay (he’s really not). Although he’s down an arm and has a shit ton of PTSD and social anxiety, he knows his life could be worse; at least he has a nice(ish) place to live, a steady veteran’s pension, is trying to work through his issues with the help of his wonderful therapist, and has a daily routine that he’s comfortable with. However, when his therapist gives him a homework assignment, to try venturing out in the public, Bucky’s routine is disrupted in a huge way. Now Bucky has to figure out if it’s a good disruption or one he’ll come to regret.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Brooklyn's Best [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2215407
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is yet another Coffee Shop AU because those are my jam. When I wrote this I was feeling very down-in-the dumps about the fact that on Friday Steve will (probably) be officially dead in TFATWS, and I just wanted to write some fluffy Coffee Shop AU. I hope you enjoy it and it would make my day if you would leave a comment telling me what you thought. Anyway, happy reading!
> 
> -I am also planning on adding to this story and turn it into a series

Bucky's heart is pounding, his hand is shaking, and he swears he's sweating buckets. He's pacing outside the closed door of Brooklyn's Best, a local coffee shop, trying to screw up the courage to actually enter.

This is Bucky's first time since ‘The Incident’ five months ago to try and attempt something like this. He doesn't do well with crowds or people in general and he can feel his anxiety rise just with the very idea of having to go in and talk to the barista. If his therapist hadn’t recommended- ordered -he try this, just start off going somewhere close to him but new so that he can get used to the uncertainty of being in public, he would definitely not be here, loitering outside in the freezing cold. Initially he had argued, because why the fuck would he want to suffer through the torture of having to talk to someone else and inevitably have to deal with the pitying looks people give his missing arm, when he could just stay inside his apartment and watch crappy TV where it's safe? But after his therapist had leveled him with an unimpressed look and said, "Bucky, you will never be able to progress on the path of recovery unless you take the first step. Yes, the first step is the scariest but it is also the most important one," he’d reluctantly agreed.

There was a time when this would be as easy as 123, but that was when Bucky was still young, optimistic, and didn't have PTSD. That was before his arm had been blown off by an IED in Afghanistan, before the hours long physical therapy and psychiatry appointments to try and work through the severe panic attacks and nightmares he still has, when he thought the hardest thing to get through would be college,when he was young, innocent, and naive. He wishes he still has the same innocence and nativity he had when he was eighteen, he wishes he could go back in time to when his soul was still light, he wishes-No. He doesn’t wish anything, because wishing means wanting to change what happened, and he’s been working so hard to do the exact opposite and move on with his life. 

Shaking his head to try and refocus on the task at hand, he hesitantly peers into the coffee shop to assess the damage. It's quite a small, quaint thing; it's a local coffee shop, not one of those chains like Starbucks. He’s glad he chose a local café because if he can barely deal with one barista, he doesn’t want to know what his anxiety levels would look like if it was a Starbucks or Pete’s. The inside of Brooklyn’s Best is cozy yet looks like someone put an effort in to make sure it feels spacious and there are at least three other patrons in there that he can count. The counter is in the back left counter, staffed by quite an attractive man. Scratch that, he's absolutely stunning. Ever since Bucky had been formally discharged from the military and moved back to Brooklyn three months ago, he has avoided dating and romance like the plague, but the barista's beauty hits him like a punch to the face. He's shorter than Bucky, probably around 5'4 and has the most beautiful blond hair Bucky's ever seen. It's the color of spun gold, looks to be as soft as a cloud and Bucky's suddenly hit with the urge to run his fingers through it, wanting to know exactly how it would feel slipping through his hand. And although he looks like a strong wind could knock him over, from what Bucky can tell by just staring at him through the window, he has an aura of strength about him, like he’s not afraid to take on the world. Even though Bucky knows absolutely nothing about him, Bucky desperately wants to, and what a strange thought that is. Following his return to Brooklyn, he effectively shut out contact from any of his old friends and even his family. Even though it pains him immensely and he’s flooded with guilt every time he remembers the numerous unanswered texts and phone calls that are piled on his phone, he can't seem to ever muster up the energy or courage to answer any of them. And so his walls have remained up. Could this be his chance to finally break them down and get to know this beautiful person? Unfortunately that would mean that Bucky would actually have to make coherent conversation with him, and he’d rather suffer the wrath of his therapist than do that. After all, he doesn’t see anything wrong with pining from afar. 

Suddenly, someone clears their throat right behind him, making him jump a foot in the air, automatically sweeping the vicinity for possible exits and threats. The throat-clearer seems startled by Bucky’s panic and gives him a wide berth when opening the shop door. He maintains suspicious eye contact with Bucky while entering the shop and Bucky sees throat-clearer point to him while talking to the barista inside. Bucky has no clue what that guy said, but he recognizes that it’s probably not a good idea to go in and stand in line behind him. So as soon as the guy passes by on his way out the door, Bucky slips in. 

The inside is even cozier than it looks like outside. There is soft music playing from a record player in the corner right by the door, it sounds like some kind of 40s swing music, and the air is filled with the tantalizing aroma of coffee. The only thing that brings down the calming ambience is the intense glare the beautiful barista is leveling Bucky with. Bucky automatically tenses and his stomach buzzes with anxiety. He’s so shocked by the truly frightening expression on the blond’s face that he barely registers that the man is talking. Shit, is the cute barista talking to him? Bucky looks around but sees no one behind him, so the barista must be talking to him. But the cute barista sounds angry; is he mad at Bucky? Fuck, did he do something wrong already?

He opens his mouth a few times trying to make something, anything, come out of his mouth and finally barks out "Are you talking to me?" And oops, that came out a bit brusque. That's definitely not what he wanted the blond man's first impression of him to be. 

Cute barista visibly bristles and responds with a curt "Yeah, I am. I asked if you were going to order?" And yep, he definitely sounds mad at Bucky. Bucky's hand starts to sweat and he can feel his heart rate accelerate. Why did his therapist ever think this would be a good idea? He obviously can't do this; the first time he dares go out, he does something wrong and probably made the poor barista stressed.

The barista is looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to do something so Bucky cautiously approaches the counter, trying not to mess up more than he thinks he already has. He hadn't memorized an order previous to coming here because he thought he could just order a plain black coffee; after all, the coffee isn't the point, the point is to become more comfortable with venturing into the outside world. However, after a quick glance at the menu, a plain black coffee doesn't seem like it's going to happen. There are an overwhelming number of drinks on the menu that Bucky hasn't even heard of. Like, what's a vanilla caramel latte? Or a venti soy caramel macchiato for that matter?

He's completely overwhelmed and knows that he'll trigger a panic attack if he doesn't calm down soon. He tries to take deep, calming breaths but the presence of the handsome barista and the coffee fumes that were once alluring but now just smell pungent, are making it extremely difficult.

Maybe the barista can see that Bucky is overwhelmed with all the drink choices, or maybe he finally realizes that Bucky is pretty much harmless, because his face suddenly softens and all his previous irritation seems to evaporate. In a suddenly softer tone he asks "Hey, are you okay? Would you like to have a minute to decide what you want to order? You can step out of line and I'll save your place for you if you want."

At his sudden shift in tone, Bucky lifts his head and glances around him. Ah shit! While he’s been panicking about what to order, a line’s backed up behind him, without him even realizing. He can see people checking their watches and looking impatiently at the front of the line to see what the hold up is. Shit, he didn’t mean to be in the way; all he wanted was to get a coffee as quickly as he could without drawing any attention to himself. Screw this, he'll just have to go back to his therapist and explain to her that he's never going to leave his house ever again.

"Shit! Um, I'm sorry for being in the way. I-I'll just leave. I'm really sorry." And with that hasty apology, Bucky turns around and flees, trying to keep his frustrated tears in until he can make it back to his apartment."


	2. Chapter 2

The night after the disaster at Brooklyn's Best was one of the worst Bucky's had in awhile. After leaving the coffee shop, he ran all the way back to his apartment and barely managed to slam the door closed before he fell apart. He kept replaying what had happened, trying to figure out where it went so wrong. He was overcome with feelings of shame and guilt; shame that he was so pathetic that he couldn’t even order a cup of coffee, and guilt that he’d inconvenienced both the other customers and the stunning barista. As the shaking from his panic attack subsided, he resolved never to go back to that coffee shop again. Heck, why does he have to go out at all? It's the 21st century, he can get everything delivered to him! Slightly bolstered by his new plan of becoming a full time hermit, he passed out on his couch in front of the TV. 

Alas, here he is again a week later, pacing outside of Brooklyn's Best. Cursing his therapist's almost supernatural art of persuasion, he opens the door with a trembling hand. The shop looks and feels the same as last week, except now there's Marvin Gaye crooning from the corner and the barista is a good looking black guy with an endearing gap toothed smile. What's with this coffee shop and having good looking baristas? For once Bucky is grateful that he's too anxious to feel any Gay Panic. Just like last time, Bucky cautiously approaches the counter and prays for the best. The barista, Bucky can see on the coffee cup shaped tag pinned to his apron that his name is actually Sam, looks up from scribbling something on a cup when Bucky stops in front of the counter.

“Hey man, I’ll be right with you, it’ll just take-hey, wait a minute! You’re him!” Sam exclaims, his eyes widening with recognition.

Bucky has no idea what Sam is talking about, because, as far as he can remember, this is the first time they’ve ever met. “Um, sorry? I’m not exactly sure what you’re talking about.” Bucky scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment and trains his eyes on his shoes.

“Oh, right, I’m sorry, I’m afraid I got a bit excited there. But you _are_ the guy who came in last week and got yelled at by Steve, right?”

Oh, right. He’s talking about what happened last week with the gorgeous barista. That absolute disaster of a day that he would prefer to never have to think about ever again. “Yeah, that was me. I hope I didn’t cause too much trouble or nothin’.”

“No, no, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all Steve’s fault. You know, he actually wants to apologize to you. I’ll just go and get him.” Sam slips out from behind the counter and is heading towards the back where Bucky assumes is the kitchen, before he can protest. 

Shit, what’s he going to do now? He can’t just leave; even though he hasn’t seen her in a while, his mother’s lessons on manners are so ingrained in him that he can picture her face pinched in disapproval if he left without talking to Steve. He’s still contemplating what to do and what he’ll even say, when he glimpses Steve poking his cute little head out from around the corner and immediately flushing red when he catches sight of Bucky. Steve ducks back out of sight when he notices Bucky watching him but after a few seconds of muffled arguing between, Bucky assumes, Steve and Sam, Steve comes stumbling out from where he was hiding.

Steve sheepishly walks over until he’s standing right in front of Bucky and extends his hand in a peace offering. “I just wanted to say that I am really, really, _really_ sorry for what happened last week. It was extremely rude of me to be so short tempered with you, especially since you hadn’t done anything wrong and I really hope you can forgive me.”

Bucky tentatively takes hold of Steve’s outstretched hand while saying “Um, it’s alright. I accept your apology. Just, I know you said that I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I kind of feel like maybe I did. So if you could tell me what I did wrong so I don’t do it next time, that would be great.”

Steve looks up at him with his head tilted to the side, a perplexed look on his face. “No, really. I swear, you did nothing wrong. What I did was entirely on me.”

Bucky still doesn’t quite believe Steve, and it must show on his face, because the next moment, Steve says “Hey, I know! If you don’t believe me, and this is only if you want to, I could take my break now and we could sit at the table in the corner and I’ll explain why I was so angry?”

And even though Bucky was initially just going to leave as soon as Steve apologized, he finds himself wanting to stay and hear Steve’s explanation. He is rather curious as to why Steve was angry, plus, he wants to spend more time with Steve. He quickly nods his head and tries to move over to the table Steve had mentioned when he realizes they are still holding hands. The image of Bucky’s large rough hand enveloped by Steve’s smaller, delicate one sends a thrill up his spine. Steve, noticing at the same time, flushes again and yanks his hand back. Bucky wishes he hadn’t; his hand feels unbearably cold without the warmth and pressure from Steve’s.

Still feeling a bit apprehensive but fortunately calmer than when he had arrived, and definitely calmer than last time he was here _thank god_ , he gets situated at the table Steve picked out. Finally being able to mostly relax, he lets out a deep breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding. The hardest part is over, now he just has to relax enough to keep up a conversation with Steve. 

Speaking of Steve, where is he? Looking around, Bucky realizes Steve hadn't followed him to the table. When he spots him, he’s at the counter with his back to Bucky, doing something Bucky can’t see. Seeing him over at the counter and not at the table like he told Bucky he would be, makes Bucky’s anxiety skyrocket. Did he somehow misunderstand Steve’s instructions and was actually supposed to go over to the counter with him? Is Steve waiting for him over there? But no, that's not right, is it? Bucky distinctly remembers Steve saying that they would sit at the table in the corner. Even though rationally he knows that Steve probably just has to clean something up before he comes over and talks with Bucky, he still feels panicky and worried that he’s done something wrong.

He doesn’t know what to do; should he wait here and risk making a mistake and making the situation awkward and unbearable, or should he go over to Steve and risk making a mistake and making the situation awkward and unbearable? He doesn’t like either option, but seeing that Steve is still fiddling with something at the counter, he decides to check what’s going on and as quietly as possible rises out of his chair. On the other hand, though, he’s 90% sure that Steve said that they would talk at the table in the corner. Oh why does this have to be so complicated? See, this is why Bucky avoids going out as much as possible; he’s just not good at reading social cues and situations anymore. Deciding in the last second to just stay seated and wait for Steve, he tries to sit back down in an aborted movement. Unfortunately when he moves his legs to sit back down, one catches the legs of the chair opposite him and it topples over with a resounding crash.

The loud sound rings through the coffee shop and Bucky cringes as the other patrons all look towards him to see what happened. Confused, Steve’s head pops up and quickly finds Bucky trying to righten the chair as quietly as he can. Feeling Steve’s eyes on his, Bucky glances up with wide panicked eyes and starts to apologize, sure that he’s in trouble. But Steve just gives him a reassuring smile and says “Oh, no, is it those damn chairs again? You know, I told Tony, he’s the owner, that we should have different chairs because these ones just fall over all the time, but he refused and said, and I quote, ‘who cares if they fall over, at least our customers will be drinking coffee in style.’” Steve rolls his eyes and shakes his head in good natured exasperation as he turns back to whatever he’s doing. “Oh, and don’t worry, I’ll be right there. I just have to do something real quick; it’s a surprise.”

Relieved that he hasn’t completely messed up, Bucky sinks back into his chair. His heart is still racing with lingering adrenaline so he closes his eyes and tries to take a few deep breaths to tell his body that everything is under control. He feels a bit better after a few seconds of using the 4-7-8 breathing technique, in for four seconds, holding the breath for seven, and back out for eight seconds; his heart slows to a normal pace, his hand stops shaking, and he feels up to talking with Steve.

And speak of the devil! The sound of a throat being cleared above him has him peeking up through his eyelashes to see Steve standing over him with an amused smile on his face. Steve lowers himself onto the seat opposite Bucky and carefully slides over a steaming hot mug of something. “Is that for me?” Bucky asks in a confused voice.

Steve nods and gives the mug an encouraging nudge towards Bucky. “Yes, it is. I didn’t exactly know what you like, but I figured that hot chocolate is a pretty safe bet.”

“Oh, but I didn’t order any hot chocolate.” 

“Yeah, I know, but consider this another apology for last week.” Steve says, giving Bucky a wink, and this time it’s Bucky’s turn to blush. He gratefully takes the hot chocolate as Steve starts speaking. 

“Alright, where were we? Oh, before I start, I forgot to mention, but my name is Steve, Steve Rogers. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself sooner.”

“That’s alright, but, um, it’s also on your pin,” Bucky points to his pin and Steve glances down with a sheepish grin. “So it is.”

“And, uh, you can call me Bucky.” 

“Well it’s nice to meet you Bucky.” Steve gives Bucky a warm smile and Bucky gives a small grin in return. “That’s an interesting name, is it a nickname or somethin’?”

“Yeah, something like that. It comes from my middle name which is Buchanan. Apparently when my sister was younger, she always pronounced it Bucky-anan and the nickname has stuck ever since.” Bucky’s surprised he told Steve all of that, usually he just says it’s a nickname and leaves it at that. It slightly scares him just how open being around Steve makes him. 

“I like it, it suits you and nicknames are always cool. I remember when I was little, I desperately wanted a nickname but the only nickname anyone ever used for me was ‘Stevie’.” Steve makes a fake disgusted face and Bucky lets out a little chuckle. 

“Well I like the nickname Stevie. I think it suits you.” Bucky smirks in the face of Steve’s mock offended expression. 

“I guess I deserve that, huh?”

“Of course you do, _Stevie_.” Bucky is full on grinning at this point. His previous panic has been all but forgotten and has been replaced with a nice, warm feeling in his chest. He’s glad he didn’t give in to his panic and decided to stick around. A comfortable silence falls across the table and not knowing what to say to fill the lull in the conversation, he just sips his hot chocolate.

Just as the silence is dragging on enough to become uncomfortable, Steve suddenly snaps his fingers and exclaims “Oh my god, I almost forgot the whole reason why I dragged you over here! Sorry about that.” In all honesty, Bucky had forgotten as well. If it were up to him, they would just keep getting to know each other. Plus, he’s already forgiven Steve. 

“Alright, so, first, I want you to know that you didn’t do anything wrong. It was entirely my fault. I also don’t want what I’m about to say to be any type of excuse for my behavior. So, when you came in, I was already having a bad day; this one customer who’s a regular, Brock Rumlow, came in and started harassing some of the other customers and I actually had to throw him out. So I was already on edge because of that, and then the customer that was before you said that you seemed agitated and was kind of suspicious of you, and I may have jumped to the conclusion that you were going to be another Brock Rumlow. I mean, obviously I see now that I yelled at a genuinely sweet person, but last week I thought that if I could be on the offensive, then you wouldn’t be.” Steve ends his little speech and stares intently at Bucky with a pensive look on his face and Bucky just looks right back, because like he’d previously said, he’s already forgiven Steve. 

Suddenly Steve tips back his head and lets out a humorless chuckle. “Wow, and now that I said that out loud, I sound like a complete asshole, don’t I?”

“Yeah, just a little bit, _Stevie_.” Even though he’d forgiven Steve the first time he’d apologized, that doesn’t mean he has to give up the opportunity to tease him. 

“Alright, I take back what I said about you being sweet.” Steve grins at Bucky with a fond look on his face and Bucky flushes and ducks his head, staring at his hot chocolate, not knowing what to do with the fluttery warm feeling spreading through his chest. Not knowing what to say again, he ends up just looking up at Steve through his eyelashes slightly perplexed by but nevertheless enjoying the warm look in Steve’s eyes. It’s nice to bask in Steve’s attention and the warm atmosphere they’ve created even though Bucky knows it probably won’t last for much longer. He would be perfectly happy just staying at their little table, in their own little world, and from what he can tell Steve seems to think the same thing, but eventually their little bubble of bliss is popped. 

The sound of the door opening seems to rouse Steve from their moment and he looks at his watch, exclaiming “I’m so sorry Bucky, but duty calls.” He moves to stand up and Bucky mirrors him, minding the surrounding chairs. Bucky isn’t sure if this is the end of their interaction or if he should say bye or something, so he ends up loitering by the table while Steve gathers the empty hot chocolate mug. Fortunately it seems he made the right decision because Steve turns around, grips his good shoulder, looks deep into Bucky’s eyes- Bucky definitely thinks that it should be a crime for someone already so pretty to have such gorgeous eyes- and says “It was really great talking with you Buck and I hope we haven’t gotten off entirely on the wrong foot.” Forgetting how to speak in the face of Steve’s seemingly bottomless blue eyes- seriously, those eyes should be fucking illegal- Bucky simply nods. 

Their little moment gets interrupted yet again by the customer waiting at the counter. The customer seems very irritated when she says “Can I get some service over here? I’m running late as it is!” 

“Hold on! I’ll be right there," Steve tells the customer, in an equally irritated voice. Turning back to Bucky, he quickly says in a much more apologetic voice, “Sorry, Buck, it seems like I really have to go now.”

“That’s alright, I should probably go now too. I’ve got… stuff to do. Probably.” Not at all; the only thing Bucky has planned for the rest of the day is to go back to his apartment and over analyze their conversation and then watch crappy TV for the rest of the night. In fact, he’d love to just spend the rest of the day here at the coffee shop with Steve, but he knows if he doesn’t want to overstay his welcome that he should probably depart. Reluctantly, he turns around to head back home.

But just as he’s about to walk through the door, he hears Steve call back to him, “Hey Bucky, you’ll come back, won’t you?” Bucky’s first instinct is to refuse and run back to his cold, lonely apartment, to lock the door and never leave again. But, after the momentary panic recedes, he realizes that’s all it is, momentary. Maybe his therapist was onto something there. The first step was certainly the hardest, but, for the first time since ‘The Incident’ he feels a glimmer of hope. So, even though he feels like there’s an entire butterfly sanctuary taking up residency in his stomach, he turns around with a shy smile and gives Steve a thumbs up. He’s pretty sure he made the right decision when he sees the blinding smile that is Steve’s response.


End file.
